The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History

The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History PDF Author: Emma L. E. Rees
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1623560667
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
From South Park to Kathy Acker, and from Lars Von Trier to Sex and the City, women's sexual organs are demonized. Rees traces the fascinating evolution of this demonization, considering how calling the 'c-word' obscene both legitimates and perpetuates the fractured identities of women globally. Rees demonstrates how writers, artists, and filmmakers contend with the dilemma of the vagina's puzzlingly 'covert visibility'. In our postmodern, porn-obsessed culture, vaginas appear to be everywhere, literally or symbolically but, crucially, they are as silenced as they are objectified. The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History examines the paradox of female genitalia through five fields of artistic expression: literature, film, TV, visual, and performance art. There is a peculiar paradox – unlike any other – regarding female genitalia. Rees focuses on this paradox of what is termed the 'covert visibility' of the vagina and on its monstrous manifestations. That is, what happens when the female body refuses to be pathologized, eroticized, or rendered subordinate to the will or intention of another? Common, and often offensive, slang terms for the vagina can be seen as an attempt to divert attention away from the reality of women's lived sexual experiences such that we don't 'look' at the vagina itself – slang offers a convenient distraction to something so taboo. The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History is an important contribution to the ongoing debate in understanding the feminine identity

The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History

The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History PDF Author: Emma L. E. Rees
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1623560667
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 328

Get Book Here

Book Description
From South Park to Kathy Acker, and from Lars Von Trier to Sex and the City, women's sexual organs are demonized. Rees traces the fascinating evolution of this demonization, considering how calling the 'c-word' obscene both legitimates and perpetuates the fractured identities of women globally. Rees demonstrates how writers, artists, and filmmakers contend with the dilemma of the vagina's puzzlingly 'covert visibility'. In our postmodern, porn-obsessed culture, vaginas appear to be everywhere, literally or symbolically but, crucially, they are as silenced as they are objectified. The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History examines the paradox of female genitalia through five fields of artistic expression: literature, film, TV, visual, and performance art. There is a peculiar paradox – unlike any other – regarding female genitalia. Rees focuses on this paradox of what is termed the 'covert visibility' of the vagina and on its monstrous manifestations. That is, what happens when the female body refuses to be pathologized, eroticized, or rendered subordinate to the will or intention of another? Common, and often offensive, slang terms for the vagina can be seen as an attempt to divert attention away from the reality of women's lived sexual experiences such that we don't 'look' at the vagina itself – slang offers a convenient distraction to something so taboo. The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History is an important contribution to the ongoing debate in understanding the feminine identity

Word Warriors

Word Warriors PDF Author: Alix Olson
Publisher: Seal Press
ISBN: 0786750723
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Female spoken word artists have become the spokeswomen for a new generation. This demanding oral poetry of the early 21st century has defined a vanguard of lithely muscled voices; women who think and act decisively to create their distinctive and desperately earned realities. The combination of the eminent slam movement and the upsurge of bold underground feminism has created a unique pool of women who verbally challenge society on all fronts. Editor Alix Olson (internationally touring spoken word artist-activist) brought together a variety of astounding spoken word artists for Word Warriors. Included in this collection are Patricia Smith and Eileen Myles, two of our most formidable spoken-word foremothers, Tony-award winners Sarah Jones, Suheir Hammad and Staceyann Chin, recording artists Bitch and Lynn Breedlove from the dyke-punk band Tribe 8, award-winning writer Michelle Tea, and many more. These women join other amazing artists from many different backgrounds to create Word Warriors, a powerful and comprehensive collection of work from the best and brightest female spoken word artists today.

The Vagina Monologues

The Vagina Monologues PDF Author: Eve Ensler
Publisher: Villard Books
ISBN: 0375505121
Category : Body image in women
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Drawing on conversations with hundreds of women about their genitalia, the author presents a collection of performance pieces from her one-woman show of the same name.

Vagina Warriors

Vagina Warriors PDF Author: Eve Ensler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780821261835
Category : Photography
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
Alongside an essay by the creator of The Vagina Monologues, portraits of V-Day activists that are committed to ending violence against women and girls throughout the world are featured, as well as powerful statements and quotations from the subjects. Simultaneous.

Stop the Next War Now

Stop the Next War Now PDF Author: Medea Benjamin
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1577317408
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Violence begets violence — so believes the majority of people around the world who have stood up in protest against war. Stop the Next War Now is a reflective look and call to action to end violence, by acclaimed peace activists, experts, and visionaries, including Eve Ensler, Barbara Lee, Arianna Huffington, Janeane Garafalo, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Hong Kingston, and many more. The book shares expert insight on the issues and powers-that-be that encourage war, including the media, politicians, global militarization, and the pending scarcity of natural resources. A powerful, smart, and passionate work, this book aims to educate and reflect on the effectiveness of peace movement activities and offer hope — through shared ideas, action steps, and checklists — to transform a culture of violence to a culture of peace. How can people humanize each other, ask the authors, and act as responsible global citizens? With vitality, joy, and a dash of CODEPINK-style humor, Stop the Next War Now insists that the time is ripe for the first-ever global movement to put an end to war — and tells readers what they can do about it.

Insecure at Last

Insecure at Last PDF Author: Eve Ensler
Publisher: Villard
ISBN: 0812973666
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
“Why has all this focus on security made me feel so much more insecure? Nothing is secure. And this is the good news. But only if you are not seeking security as the point of your life.”–Eve Ensler When her stage play The Vagina Monologues became a runaway hit and an international sensation, Eve Ensler emerged as a powerful voice and champion for women everywhere. Now the brilliant playwright gives us her first major work written exclusively for the printed page. Insecure at Last is a timely and urgent look at our security-obsessed world, the drastic measures taken to keep us safe, and how we can truly experience freedom by letting go of the deceptive notion of vigilant “protection.” Ensler draws on personal experiences and candid interviews with burka-clad women in Afghanistan; female prisoners in upstate New York; survivors at the Superdome after Katrina; and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan–sharing unforgettable snapshots that chronicle a post-9/11 existence in which hyped obsession for safety and security has undermined our humanity. The us-versus-them mentality, Ensler explains, has closed our minds and hardened our compassionate hearts. Provocative, illuminating, inspiring, and boldly envisioned, Insecure at Last challenges us to reconsider what it means to be free, to discover that our strength is not born out of that which protects us. Ensler offers us the opportunity to reevaluate our everyday lives, expose our vulnerability, and, in doing so, experience true freedom and fulfillment.

Vagina Problems

Vagina Problems PDF Author: Lara Parker
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 1250240697
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
“In Vagina Problems...Lara Parker unpacks the personal and economic costs of endometriosis.” —Vanity Fair “A refreshingly honest read about living with chronic pain.” —Hello Giggles With unflinching honesty, Lara Parker, the Deputy Director for BuzzFeed, shares her day-to-day challenges of living, working, and loving with chronic pain caused by endometriosis in this raw, darkly humorous, and hopeful memoir. I wasn’t ready to be completely honest about my vagina yet, and the world wasn’t ready for that either. But I was getting there. I wanted the world to know that all of this pain I had been feeling...that it was related to my vagina. Thus, Vagina Problems was born. It was a cutesy name. It was my way of taking this pain and saying, “Whatever. I’m here. I have it. It sucks. Let’s talk about it.” In April 2014, Deputy Editorial Director at BuzzFeed Lara Parker opened up to the world in an article on the website: she suffers from endometriosis. And beyond that? She let the whole world know that she wasn’t having any sex, as sex was excruciatingly painful. Less than a year before, she received not only the diagnosis of endometriosis, but also a diagnosis of pelvic floor dysfunction, vulvodynia, vaginismus, and vulvar vestibulitis. Combined, these debilitating conditions have wreaked havoc on her life, causing excruciating pain throughout her body since she was fourteen years old. These are her Vagina Problems. It was five years before Lara learned what was happening to her body. Five years of doctors insisting she just had “bad period cramps,” or implying her pain was psychological. Shamed and stigmatized, Lara fought back against a medical community biased against women and discovered that the ignorance of many doctors about women’s anatomy was damaging more than just her own life. One in ten women have endometriosis and it takes an average of seven years before they receive an accurate diagnosis—or any relief from this incurable illness’ chronic pain. With candid revelations about her vaginal physical therapy, dating as a straight woman without penetrative sex, coping with painful seizures while at the office, diet and wardrobe malfunctions when your vagina hurts all the time, and the depression and anxiety of feeling unloved, Lara tackles it all in Vagina Problems: Endometriosis, Painful Sex, and Other Taboo Topics with courage, wit, love, and a determination to live her best life.

Violence and Gender in the Globalized World

Violence and Gender in the Globalized World PDF Author: Sanja Bahun
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040281656
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
Violence and Gender in the Globalized World expands the critical picture of gender and violence in the age of globalization by introducing a variety of uncommonly discussed geo-political sites and dynamics. The volume hosts methodologically and disciplinarily diverse contributions from around the world, discussing various contexts including Chechnya, Germany, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Palestine, the former Yugoslavia, Syria, South Africa, the United States, and the Internet. Bringing together scholars’ and activists’ historicized and site-specific perspectives, this book bridges the gap between theory and practice concerning violence, gender, and agency. In this revised and updated edition, the scope of inquiry is expanded to incorporate phenomena that have recently come to the forefront of public and scholarly scrutiny, such as Internet-based discourses of violence, female suicide bombers, and the Islamic State’s violence against women. At the same time, new data and developments are brought to bear on earlier discussions of violence against women across the globe in order to bring them fully up to date. With an international team of contributors, comprising eminent scholars, activists and policy-makers, this volume will be of interest to anyone conducting research in the areas of gender and sexuality, human rights, cultural studies, law, sociology, political science, history, post-colonialism and colonialism, anthropology, philosophy and religion.

Feminists Say the Darndest Things

Feminists Say the Darndest Things PDF Author: Mike Adams
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101217839
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
A hilarious romp by a popular conservative columnist The four most common words a feminist uses are "I," "me," "my," and "mine." Feminists are the only people who actually use these words more in adulthood than they did when they were two years old. Mike Adams-like P. J. O'Rourke and Christopher Buckley-understands that the best way to fight humorless liberals is to poke fun at them. And no liberal group is more humorless, or more in need of poking, than feminists on college campuses. It might seem like professional suicide for a conservative male professor to ridicule feminists for their antics on campus. But Adams does just that, with hilarious results. In Feminists Say the Darndest Things, he writes to feminists around the country with many thoughtful questions, such as: Why did they build a sex toy museum in the middle of a campus and then file sexual harassment charges against those who criticized their indiscretion? Why do they write "scholarly" articles like the one suggesting that deer hunters are simply acting out fantasies of raping underage women? And why, after his column said that feminists are intolerant of free speech, did they respond by trying to get him fired? When the author's pen pals take the bait, they do a better job of making feminism look silly than any critic ever could.

Feminism Vs. Women

Feminism Vs. Women PDF Author: Ashley Herzog
Publisher: Xulon Press
ISBN: 1606474448
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Book Description
"In practice, the modern feminist movement is not a movement to promote freedom and equality for all women, no matter what their social, political, or religious beliefs may be. It operates as a rigid ideology dictating what women should think and how they should live. Although they might claim to speak for all women, many feminists have absolutely no interest in advocating for the majority of them. Instead, they aim to mold all women into loyal, obedient liberals who tow the establishment line"--Cover.